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The Parliamentary Union has lauded the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, and the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB), for the manner they handled the deliberate attempt to sow confusion among some staff of Parliament, before President John Mahama delivered the session address.

According to the union, prior to the session address, some news- papers hyped a boycott by some staff, but it passed off without any incident.

Mr. Benjamin Mingle, General Secretary of the Financial Business and Services Employees Union, was reacting to the media reports, in an interview with The Ghanaian Times.

He said in an attempt to publish issues on the unionisation of the junior staff of Parliament, some newspapers confused these issues, and brought in the implementation of a new salary structure for the union.

Mr Mingle recalled that the issue of the new salary structure was started during the tenure of former Speaker, Mr Sekyi Hughes, when the junior staff was pushing for better working conditions and salary adjustment.

The General Secretary said, he was aware that the Speaker was addressing all concerns of the unionised staff of Parliament, and called for restraint on all fronts.

He indicated that it was through inexhaustible patience, and good relationship between the Union and the various Speakers of Parliament, which made it possible for the establishment of close relationship with the leadership of the local union and the PSB.

Mr Mingle stated that, the inability of Parliament to amend the Labour Law (ACT651) sometime ago, and the commitment of the Speaker, made it possible for the workers to be unionised.

On assumption of office as the Speaker of Parliament, and studying issues on the union, Mr. Adjaho, travelled to the United Kingdom (House of Commons) together with some local union executives to study “the workings and the relationship between unions and leadership of Parliaments”.

He said the Speaker ensured that a sub-committee of the Parliamentary Service Board, led by Okaidja Adamafio, was set up to address concerns regarding the implementation of a new Parliamentary Service Salary Structure, which resulted in a review of salaries of staff sometime last year.

Mr. Mingle said he would support the staff to make legitimate demands for better working conditions.

According to Mr. Mingle, “it is a bad habit for some staff to run to the press on any and every issue without looking for explanations on those matters”.

The General Secretary pleaded with the press to be wary of staff, who may rush to them with stories.